El Cortez

It seems the crew from The Commodore can do no wrong, at least when it comes to creating successful enterprises throughout Brooklyn.
The third bar and restaurant from Stephen Tanner (Pies and Thighs alum almost single handedly responsible for the wave of fried chicken you currently see trending throughout New York) after The Commodore and Tutu’s, El Cortez combines arguably two of my favorite things on planet earth: tiki drinks and Mexican food. The latter is more of the Tex Mex variety than California Mexican, but they do a fantastic job of paying homage to the Lonestar State’s take on south of the border cuisine. The queso blanco is addictive, the fried chicken sliders (chicken buddies) are perfect, and the All American Taco Night will have you unearthing memories of assmbling hard shell tacos with your parents in the late ‘80s.
On the drink side of things, there just aren’t enough great Polynesian style bars in New York. They’ve helped fill a dearth in tropical libations with a respectable array of sweet, yet strong cocktails. The signature piña colada has made the trek from Commodore, so if you’re a blended drink fanatic, you’re in luck.
The service is a bit wonky, so if you’re expecting the type of attention you’d receive at a Michelin starred restaurant, you’ll leave disappointed. It’s an old warehouse in Bushwick, not a Columbus Circle white table cloth destination with Thomas Keller at the helm.

Food was good, booze even better, when we could get it. Was ignored by the waiter most of our time there and it wasn’t even packed. Total bummer.

DJ on 1÷22÷16 sucked and wouldn’t play anything our group of 11 people wanted to hear/​requested so we took our business elsewhere.

Food was great, and I loved the specialty drink options. Great ambiance and music. Would def. come here again.

I came here for a friend’s bday on a Friday night back in September. Drinks were great, nachos were great, super cool spot with an outdoor area. However, the bartenders were eh. I ordered 2 drinks, they gave me one, and were a bit rude when I corrected.
But worst of all… I had a tab open and forgot to grab my card when I left. On Monday morning, I planned to head there after work but happened to check my bank account & noticed there were random charges amounting to $ 500+ dollars, all made over the weekend, that hadn’t been posted to my account until Monday (the day I checked). I went in person after work and the manager found my card in the register, so her response was «identity theft is going around» via hackers stealing online credit card info… I was skeptical & when I looked into it, the charges were made at gas stations and fast food locations, where you’d need a physical card to pay. I confirmed with a Modell’s that what showed up on my statement reflected an in-​store purchase and not an online purchase. They were made around Queens & other parts of NY. When the issue was escalated to the manager’s Manager, he was concerned and responsive. He went through video tapes & said they’d help reimburse me if there were issues with the bank
The whole thing was just absurd. I think El Cortez was pretty new when I was there, so hopefully they’ve revamped their staff & figured things out. If I ever return, you can bet I’ll be paying cash!

This place is fantastic — it located on a lonely stretch of bushwick, but once inside, you’ll be made to feel instantly comfortable.
I’m not sure why or how some of these other reviewers seem to have had a bad experience with the staff, but I found the staff to be top notch. There was no Brooklyn hipster attitude at all. In fact, the bartender Justin was the coolest, friendliest, most hospitable bartender I’ve encountered in awhile.
The drinks were great, the food was top notch, the music was great, and the crowd was friendly and easy on the eyes.
If you don’t like this place, you’re probably a garbage person because this one is a keeper.

Really good nachos and steak burrito, drinks and service great too. Nice retro vibe and very clean.

Me llamo Juan. ¿Amirite? That was Español. Taco Bell, do you speak it?
Anyhoot, that mean girl from The Commodore and her sea captain friend opened a Chi-Chi’s on the loneliest block near the Millennial L stop.
The Nintendo game «Bad Dudes» was filmed out front. Take back the night, El Cortez.

Great Food. The portions are huge1 and we all know that’s a problem in brooklyn. Im fat, i wanna eat, i don’t want to pay the same price for a runway model portion. You really get your money’s worth. I love the burrito and the nachos.
Not just good food though. The drinks are spectacular. I’m a fan of the frozen drink — piña colada and the mojito.
It’s best to come here early. The crowd’s get crazy, and when it does there’s a second line to go upstairs to the patio and dance floor.
Only downside is that when it’s busy a lot of obnoxious loud idiots might show up.

I think I’ve been here enough times on various nights to come up with a well-​rounded review.
The décor is really cool with interesting lighting and wall adornments. The patio off the upstairs bar is nice. The music isn’t too overwhelmingly loud so that if you’re not into it, you can be there without being annoyed.
I’ve experienced nothing but friendly and attentive service from the bartenders & servers.
I’ve had a couple of the cocktails on the well-​designed menu. El Cortez & Flor de Muertos are my favorites, followed by Orange Julio. As for food, I’ve only had the burrito and it was awesome, so I’ll be back for that.

I thought I turned down the wrong street because I didn’t see anything going on there, then I remembered I was in Bushwick and everywhere looks like that so I kept going and it was exactly where it was alleged to be. (It always is.) It’s a really big, polished-​looking space with a nice chill vibe. They were playing old school hip-​hop jams which always makes me happy. It was a weeknight so I did not have any tiki drinks, to my own detriment, but all the usual favorites were there on the colorful menu. I would’ve liked a little more tiki-​ness in the environment (colorful lights/​lanterns, foliage) but I like those things most places, and I have learned, this is not always appropriate. Maybe that’d be too dainty for Bushwick? But a plant is always nice to have around isn’t it?! Even is it’s fake, as long as it is regularly dusted. I digress. They do have foliage on the wallpaper.
I had the queso and chips and it was fine, a creamy gooey savory cheesy dip with a healthy swirl of mole sauce. The chips were well-​salted and tasted fresh.* Someone else at the table got the fried chicken sliders and they smelled amazing and came with three sauces which I sniffed and they smelled legit.
Overall I found El Cortez to be a cool spot with friendly vibes, tasty food and cheap beer. Like the Commodore! Strange magic these people are serving up.
*I am from Califonia and this is important to me

«Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.»
― Ernest Hemingway
Hidden at the edge of Bushwick, popping out amongst the commercial warehouses and graffiti stands a giant totem pole and angular designed wooden façade. Before you even enter the bar you know you are in for something special. El Cortez is a watering hole that Hemingway would love, most drunk writers would. It fosters a creative environment.
I’m not sure why more people haven’t taken a shot at the ‘Tiki Bar’ model but I’m glad they exist; fore everyone (whether they admit it or not) loves a good fruity drink in a special glass. El Cortez does not disappoint in keeping the Tiki tradition alive. From their self-​titled signature drink to my favorite the ‘Orange Julio’ are exquisite. The Orange Julio is a frozen drink made with gin, elderflower, Aperol and freshly squeezed orange juice, served in a hurricane glass.
Unlike most recent bars opening in the area, attention to detail and design were actually taken into consideration and applied well. The second level of the bar is a huge selling point (open Thursday-​Sunday) with a full bar and outside deck.
Most nights there is a DJ, last night the one in attendance was playing a great mix of 90’s hip-​hop, Pharcyde, Souls of Mischief — ’93 To Infinity and Biggie. The music is played at a perfect level that still allows for conversation.
The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. On my last visit I was there for a friends birthday and Kareem (the manager) treated us like family… although the menu doesn’t offer ‘sweets’ we were able to bring in our own and kindly allowed me to plate the cake with candles, etc.
El Cortez is setting the bar at a new level for quality with creative themed cocktails and food at an affordable price while still offering cheap options such as Miller High Life and $ 3 well shots. The open layout, split level, private deck and two bars offer a space for everyone. Kareem is welcoming and adds the personal flare that just highlights your experience. Whether in Brooklyn or not, El Cortez should be on your to do list.

The only positive from our experience here was the queso– finally somewhere in NYC gets it right. Aside from the delicious queso there is little else to redeem this place. The music is excessively loud, the table beside us had their ears covered. Cocktails were good, but took forever to get to us. Waitstaff was very nice, but very inefficient. Our burritos were run of the mill, and the chicken buddies to quote someone at our table tasted like «fast food». The space was vast and full of hipsters, and I guess all this subpar stuff is cool for them. Not so cool for me and my crew. We won’t be back.

This is The Commodore’s grown up cousin – a different spin on the theme and menu but still a heart of gold. The set up is different as well – there is table service and a waitress will take your name down. We got lucky and snagged two seats at the bar. The bartenders were more interested in talking to each other and their friends than serving us, but once we ordered it was smooth sailing.
Everything on the menu looks good – we split the nachos (which are the same perfect ones you can get at The Commodore) and the Chicken Buddies, which are a slider version of The Commodore’s chicken sandwich. Loved those bite sized friends. Drinks were strong and around $ 10-​$ 12.
There is another bar upstairs but no food service, so we waited until after we ate to check it out. Love the outdoor space (so do the smokers) and the upstairs area is set up with booths and a stage at the back. Around midnight the DJ was playing 90’s-early 2000’s hip hip and of course a dance party started. Come expecting a bar first and restaurant second, but either way you’re gonna have fun.

If you are the owners, you need an intervention now. The commodore is one of my all time fave places in Brooklyn, and based on that I thought this place would be similar. Clearly you need to fire and rehire your entire staff. Seeing this many negative reviews makes it beyond obvious, don’t waste any more time and money.
See you again soon, hope you’re ironed out by then or who knows how long you’ll be in business.

I’d been waiting to try this place for weeks and it did not disappoint!
I think a lot of the reviewers are on here are confused about what this is supposed to be. ITS A BAR. Just like Commodore, it’s a bar first, that just so happens to have delicious food. There shouldn’t really be an expectation that you’re going to sit down and have a nice meal with 5 star service. In fact, I think they should have done service just like it is at Commodore, where you order at the bar. Maybe that would alleviate some of the ridiculous expectations I’m reading here. That being said, our waitress was super nice, and I didn’t really care at all that she brought me a whiskey soda instead of whiskey ginger.
We went in around 10pm, had the Nachos and the sliders, and then danced till 2am. The Nachos were/​are the best drunk food on the planet. Quuueesooooo!
I’d like the DJ to play something better than Nelly, but we’ll give him some time.

The vibe here is pure pleasure. It doesn’t just pose with that 70’s retro vibe– it delivers it with music and a down to earth service, The mission style building looks like a church in Southern California. El Cortez is coolness personified.
The food here is super reasonably priced. Chips and salsa are $ 4 and the salsa was smoky! I went with a bean and cheese enchilada and it came out dressed like the Mexican flag with lots of radishes and some crema on top. A deadly dish as the eight track plays, this spot rocks out.

Like a lot of places popping up in Bushwick, the food is excellent and the lazy hipster service is maddening.
This is exactly the case at El Cortez, a new spot serving some delicious, satisfying Mexican food in a very chill atmosphere.
The hostess showed us to our table near the front, which was completely filthy for who knows how long and required us to wait a few minutes for someone to come and wipe it down.
We eventually got a menu, which has a ton of great options. We ordered a lot of food, most of which was great:
— Chicken Buddies ($ 11)
Smartly capitalizing on the current wave of popularity for fried chicken, they offer a unique and delicious spin on it here, serving four little fried chicken sliders on a skewer. They happen to be excellent, so you should definitely make sure to order this.
— Nachos ($ 12)
These were ok, but the nachos were already pretty soggy by the time they arrived. Also, they were almost completely covered in the mess of queso, pinto beans and salsas, which is normally fine for nachos, but they were even worse for the wear by the time I hunted someone down to get some silverware to dig in with.
— Burrito ($ 8) with Chicken (+ $ 1)
This was a great burrito, filled with beans, rice, cheese, crema, avocado, and the optional chicken we added.
— Pork Tacos ($ 7 for 2)
These were ok. Pretty standard tacos, so for $ 1-​$ 2 more, I would go with the burrito instead for something much more satisfying.
— Cheeeseburger ($ 7)
This was a really solid burger. Super cheap and satisfying, it’s a great choice.
I definitely wouldn’t mind returning here to try the Torta and the Chimichanga. As long as you go in not expecting any service, you’ll be fine and will leave satisfied. And make sure to get the Chicken Buddies.

I read a good review from what I believed to be a reliable source and decided to check it out.
The bartender essentially refused to serve us by insisting we wait for an overworked waitress.
When the waitress showed up about 10 minutes later, she apologized for a dirty table, and after hurriedly cleaning it, threw down menus and ran off.
10 minutes later we left.
Thanks Unilocal,for offering some great (negative) reviews that minimized our wait.

Great new tiki bar in bushwick! The food is great and the drinks are strong. It’s nice to have something kitschy and fun in the hood.
There seemed to be not enough staff for the crowd but they are really new so that will probably work itself out.